Choices
by Saran VD
Summary: Our story begins in 2163. The war is won. Life goes on, though decidedly not in the way that one expects. Babies are born. People fall in love. New avatars are created. And maybe, just maybe, humans aren't the only threat the Na'vi face...
1. Prologue

**A/N: First **_**Avatar**_** fic. I would like to add that, as of publishing this chapter, I have only seen this movie once (though I **_**did**_** see it in 3D). So if anything conflicts with the movie or whatever and I don't give good reason for it to, please let me know. Enjoy!  
**

**Also, those who've read this chapter once already, I've taken reviews into account and changed some things and added others. Keep me posted with your questions, comments, concerns, etc.! :)**

**  
THIMBLES! And on with the fic…**

**Saran VD**

Choices

_Prologue_

The year was 2163. As the times changed, technology did as well. Research of the Na'vi continued, and as it did, improvements were made to the avatar program as a whole.

One of the first big changes was that the technology now allowed a researcher to stay in his avatar's body overnight. No longer were they forced into returning to the human world because their avatar body needed a little sleep. The chaos caused by Jake Sully almost being bulldozed during the great war caused this technology to become a priority, for they all knew that the Marine would have died if he hadn't linked up in time. No one wanted to risk this happening again. On top of this, the technology used to link became smaller and faster, enclosing only the researcher's head.

The structure of the avatars also changed. Their prices went down (to about $50,000,000 US, which is still quite a few pennies), and they looked more and more like the Na'vi with every "generation." The avatars now only had four fingers instead of five, and their faces had the same cat-like nose and orb-shaped eyes as those of the Na'vi did.

Perhaps the most significant change was that the avatar bodies now changed as they would under the normal processes of aging. Days into weeks into years, the avatar bodies suffered the same way those of the Na'vi did.

Norm Spellman, who was in charge of the avatar program since Grace's death, was faced with a dilemma he'd never thought that he'd have to face. Norm considered himself peaceful, rational, calm. He had proven himself to be this way, too, until he met Noa.

Noa Amato was one of the few scientists who stayed behind after the wars of 2154. She had been a simple lab technician at the time, the type who would quietly sit back and study her superiors, learning the ropes through observation. After the wars were ended, she received her official avatar training from Norm.

It took three years of training, plus six months of working together, for Norm and Noa to realize their feelings towards each other. Once they did, however, there was no turning back, no changing things, no letting them go for the sake of the mission.

No. At this point, the pair was just a pair of humans in the midst of a strangely beautiful alien planet, and they grasped each other as if they were lifelines.

Norm had thought that being in his avatar form was the greatest form of ecstasy, but that quickly was corrected when he made love to Noa for the first time. Finally, Norm felt that he connected with something, something more than cell bio and history and samples. This was deeper than that. Norm was never going to let it go.

This joy was merely increased tenfold when he learned that Noa was expecting a child. The first human child born on Pandora, he knew. Many of his colleagues saw "the little Spellman" as nothing more than a great experimental subject, but Norm would have none of that himself. This was his child. He wouldn't ever abandon him (or her) as long as he didn't have to.

However, Pandora is rough on the human body. The little Spellman was born a month too early, and Noa didn't survive the ordeal at all. Only thanks to the constant care of the scientists did the infant pull through alive.

Norm felt as if his world was shattered, as if things had been ruined more thoroughly than they had ever been ruined before. The woman he loved had died. It was over. There was nothing left to live for. Norm quickly lost interest in everything but his work, which he threw himself into with a fervor that was almost horrifying.

Even when Norm was presented with his daughter, a little miracle that the scientists had collectively named Kala, he was disinterested and distracted.

When Kala was a (very mature) six-month-old, Norm was hit by what he called "a stroke of brilliance." He took some of Kala's DNA and sent it off to the Pandoran lab that was in charge of creating the avatars. "Make me an avatar," he told them in a crisp, business-like tone, "and make her_ young_." When asked how young, he said, "Take the time it takes you to make this thing and add 6 months. Puzzled, the scientists obliged.

After three years, two months, and four days, the new avatar was ready. Norm stared, unable to help himself. The thing was obviously young, and for a moment he almost called the mission off altogether. It made his eyes tear, imagining the little creature exposed to the harshness of Pandora.

However, Norm had invested too much time training a baby (a rather intelligent baby, but a baby nonetheless) and money in the avatar itself to back out now. He leaned over a now three year, eight month, and four day old Kala. With her coffee-colored skin and her big brown eyes, she already looked too much like Noa for Norm to be able to bear.

"Kala," he said to the girl. "You ready to go on another adventure?"

Kala, who knew "adventure" to mean "simulation of a link," nodded eagerly. Like her father, she had a stabbing desire to learn things, despite her young age.

"Now, you know that we'll let this one go on as long as you want," Norm said, but he knew that this was a lie.

The truth of the matter was that this was a link that wouldn't be ending any time in the foreseeable future. Kala was, despite what Norm had originally planned for her, just the latest in a long line of experiments. The link would allow the scientists to track her for the years that she spent growing up as one of the Na'vi, discovering more about their culture than they had ever been able to learn through an adult.

Norm felt as if he was fighting a losing battle as his heart raged with his head. He knew that this is the discoveries made in this experiment would persuade the government to send them more funds, which they desperately needed in order to continue their research.

However, a part of him was having a hard time sending this child- Noa's child- out into the bush without someone to protect her. Granted, little Kala had scored high on all of the awareness and fight-or-flight tests, showing that she could actually keep her head in a dangerous situation (an amazing feat for anyone, let alone a nearly four-year-old girl). He also knew the Na'vi well enough to know that they would allow nothing bad to happen to her. They had placed Kala's avatar in a spot not far at all from the home of the Omaticaya, hoping that someone would find her and take her in.

Still, it was hard for him to think about Kala spending her life hooked to machines. A little girl should be able to laugh, to play, to enjoy herself. Even without the avatar, that would be very difficult, given the fact that she would spend her life imprisoned in the buildings of Hell's Gate.

At that moment, Norm made a connection that he hadn't thought of before. Perhaps it was _better_ for Kala to become one of the Na'vi. Perhaps this way, Kala would be able to live the life that she found preferable. That had certainly been Jake's case. Heartened, Norm kissed the top of Kala's dark curls as he prepared his daughter for her first- and probably last- link. He signaled to the others that everything was set.

Norm began connecting Kala to the machinery that would keep her alive for the rest of her life as a lab tech somewhere said the two little words that everyone had been waiting for: "Initiating link."

~!~

The Na'vi, as a people, were flourishing as best as they could since the Great War. Neytiri and Jake had a child of their own: a little four year old girl, Nehrya. Life was continuing. Small saplings had sprouted up where Hometree had once stood.

But nothing is ever all butterflies and rainbows, and there were some people who were still suffering.

Enter Stepoma, who lost her mate and young son when Hometree had been destroyed in the first place. She had removed herself to the outskirts of Omaticayan life, choosing to be alone. Attachment, she had learned, quickly led to sorrow.

All that changed when Stepoma, who was out hunting, noticed something odd moving in the brush not far from one of the human's many abandoned mines. At first, the Na'vi woman was nervous, but her curiosity won out in the end. What she saw nearly broke her heart.

A small child, not more than three years old, was sitting curled up in the bush. Her long hair was dark and curly, much to Stepoma's surprise- very few, if any, Na'vi had curly hair.

"I see you," Stepoma said to the girl in Na'vi.

The child said nothing. She just continued to stare at Stepoma with wide, golden eyes.

Stepoma repeated herself, but she still got no response. If anything, the child looked more terrified than she already had.

There was something odd about the situation, Stepoma knew. Why would anyone abandon their child in this desolate area? She searched the area quickly in an attempt to find signs of life. When she found nothing, she sighed and lifted the girl into her arms.

The child was all skin and bones, Stepoma realized sadly. She had been alone for at least a day. Who knows how much affection she had received before that.

"Don't worry, _evi_," Stepoma promised. "I will care for you." She held the girl close, and the child burrowed her face into Stepoma's shoulder. "You will be my daughter, won't you, Tee'mun?" Stepoma felt a shred of guilt for naming the girl without finding out if the child had already been named, but she couldn't help herself. "You'll forgive me, won't you?" Stepoma cooed.

Tee'mun yawned and shut her eyes, as if she actually understood a word of what Stepoma was saying to her.

There would be time for learning, Stepoma knew. But for now, as she returned to Hometree, she was content to, at long last, feel the connection that exists between two beings.


	2. Ite

**A/N: So, on to chapter two. If you haven't reread the edited prologue (as of 1/14/10), you probably should so that this chapter isn't so confusing.**

**A special shout out to Sky66, whose feedback has helped immensely with the development of the story.**

**Some notes on time: from now on, years, days, etc. refer to Pandoran years, days, etc. And unless I say otherwise, characters are speaking in Na'vi. Also, last chapter, anything relating to Kala/Tee'mun's age is given in Pandoran time.**

**And for the Na'vi used last chapter, '**_**evi**_** is a way of saying "child" or "kid" in an affectionate sort of way. I'll have a glossary at the end of this chapter, I promise!**

**THIMBLES! And on with the fic…**

**Saran VD**

Choices

'_Ite_

Fifteen years can fly by. Stepoma learned this in the most painful way possible, as she watched her adopted daughter grow from shy little girl to strong young woman. And now Stepoma was facing a difficult moment: letting Tee'mun go.

Today was the day of _iknimaya_, and only Eywa knew how the day would end. Only Eywa knew if any of the young ones would be lost to the danger of the ritual.

But Stepoma knew the consequences of Tee'mun missing the ceremony. It was with a heavy heart that she bent and shook her daughter awake. "Rise and shine," she said with a smile.

Tee'mun's eyelashes fluttered for a few seconds before her eyes flew open and she practically leapt to her feet. "Good morning, Sa'nu," she said. A smile lit up her narrow face.

Stepoma laughed at her daughter's excitement and tossed her a fruit. "Eat something," she said gently, for Tee'mun looked hesitant. "You'll need it."

Tee'mun glanced up at the sky. "But what if it makes me late? We still need to redo my braids."

Tee'mun's hair was an eternal struggle in and of itself. As she had grown older, the curls grew springier and wilder, becoming difficult- if not impossible- to braid. The braids that were in now had only lasted for about a week, while most Omaticaya had to braid their hair maybe once a moon.

"Kneel," said Stepoma. Tee'mun obeyed, and Stepoma stood behind her, undoing the plaits one by one. "Eat," she urged as her clever fingers began redoing her daughter's hair.

Tee'mun took a tentative bite of the sweet fruit. "I had the nightmare again last night."

Stepoma inhaled sharply but said nothing.

"It was a little different this time," said Tee'mun. "Longer. I was in the middle of hunting when I collapsed."

Disturbing, Stepoma noted, but not unusual. Nothing different than the same thing she had heard on and off for the past six moons.

"And then I woke up, and there were a bunch of…" Tee'mun's brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to remember her dream. "A bunch of _ayketuwong_. They were looking at me like… like I was something to eat or something. I don't know." She stopped, for her mother had stopped braiding her hair. "Why does Eywa show me these things?"

Stepoma resumed her task, though she tugged a bit more roughly than before. "I don't know, _'ite_. She does everything for a reason. She'll show you someday."

"But _when_?"

Stepoma didn't have an answer for that. "Let's just focus on today, all right?"

A hint of delight returned to Tee'mun's worried face. "_Iknimaya_," she murmured.

Stepoma finished the last braid. She had braided only enough to keep the hair out of her face, allowing the rest of the curls to hang to the small of Tee'mun's back. "Go get yourself an _ikran_. Become a _toronyu_. Make your Sa'nu proud." She kissed her daughter's head.

Tee'mun rose happily to her feet. "I love you to the ends of the world and back again," she said, taking her mother's hand in one of her own.

"I love you to the moons and the sun and back again," Stepoma replied, taking Tee'mun's other hand with her free one. The ritual had been going on for years; a way that they said farewell to each other, without fail. "Now, go."

Tee'mun nodded, smiled, and dashed off into the forest itself.

It wasn't far back to Hometree; while Stepoma didn't want to live near it, she knew not to live too far away, either. Tee'mun's feet carried her quickly through the trees and the brush… until she crashed into someone.

This someone was a young woman at least a head shorter than Tee'mun was, which was saying something; at 2.7 meters, Tee'mun was on the short side for a Na'vi.

The girl, no matter her stature, radiated a sense of power. "Finally," she said, looking up to meet Tee'mun's eyes. "Beyral's been waiting for_ever_. I thought she was going to go hunt you down." The girl smiled with pride. "Fortunately, I managed to persuade her to send me instead. Figured that you might want to at least make it to the Thundering Rocks alive. Before an _ikran_ swallows you up."

Tee'mun just rolled her eyes and laughed. "Hello to you too, Nehrya."

Nehrya rolled her eyes. "_Iknimaya_," she spat out, as if disgusted. "As if I really wanted to be a Hunter, anyway."

"Nehrya…" Tee'mun was used to the girl being cynical and irritable, but this was unusual.

"Ugh, Tee'mun, you sound like my mother." Nehrya adjusted her voice a bit, impersonating the _tsahik_ perfectly. "Now, now, _'ite_, all of your ancestors have gone through this rite. You must do the same." Nehrya snorted in annoyance. "Yeah, _all_ of them. Right. What about Sempu's family? I doubt that a bunch of _aytawtute_ would come all the way out here to ride a banshee."

Tee'mun hid her amusement. She knew the real reason that Nehrya hadn't wanted to go through _iknimaya_. The girl was deathly afraid of heights, and no one was quite sure why. Especially not Nehrya.

"You won't fall," Tee'mun said softly.

Nehrya's keen ears heard her, and she stopped. Tee'mun barely stopped herself from crashing into the other Na'vi. "How would you know?" she spat.

Tee'mun honestly couldn't say how she knew, anymore than she could say why she had the nightmares. She just knew. "Trust me. I'll go first, and I'll make sure to fly under you to catch you if you do fall." _Which you won't_, Tee'mun added silently.

Nehrya's irritated expression softened. "Thanks, Tee'mun."

They reached the clearing, where several more of the young Na'vi had gathered, all standing around an older Na'vi woman, Beyral. Each of the students had a yellow "v" painted on their foreheads.

Beyral silently motioned for Tee'mun to join her, and she did so. The woman reached into the bowl of dye that she held and painted a "v" on Tee'mun's forehead as well. The temporary mark of a soon-to-be _toronyu_. Either the mark would be washed off and a pair of goggles would be presented, or the young Na'vi wouldn't make it home alive. Somehow, the simple mark made Tee'mun even more nervous. She glanced at Nehrya and smiled just a bit. The other girl looked ready to bolt at any time.

"_Iknimaya_ is a right," Beyral began. As the best Hunter that the clan had, she was in charge of teaching the next generation. "It is also a rite of passage. When we leave here today, you are still children. When you return, you will be able to join us as adults when you feel ready. You will also be responsible for helping with food and defense. But you will have an _ikran_ of your own." She smiled at each of the young Na'vi in turn, her gaze lingering on Nehrya. "The Clan is behind you every step of the way today. You have more than your two parents behind you now. You are our _ayite_, our _ayitan_. Make us proud."

The woman turned and headed into the brush, and the others followed, one by one.

Nehrya slid her five-fingered right hand into Tee'mun's four-fingered one. Both girls took deep breaths, glanced at each other, and plunged into the forest together, for better or for worse.

~!~

**Glossary:  
****'Ite****: daughter**

**Iknimaya:**** the rite of passage of making the bond with a banshee**

**Ayketuwong:**** Aliens**

**Sa'nu:**** Mommy**

**Sempu:**** Daddy**

**Tsahik:**** Spiritual leader, matriarch**

**Aytawtute:**** Sky People, aka Humans**

**Ikran:**** Mountain Banshee**

**Ayite:**** Daughters**

**Ayitan:**** Sons**


	3. Iknimaya

**A/N: Long chapter, but several plot things are introduced. Hope I did all right writing iknimaya. I had to base it off of my memory of the movie and the article on the Avatar wiki.**

**Reviews are like a blessing from Eywa. ;)**

**THIMBLES! And on with the fic…**

**Saran VD**

Choices

_Iknimaya_

They arrived at the Thundering Rocks earlier than they had anticipated. Tee'mun felt her heart rate accelerate just a bit as they climbed their last vine to reach their final destination: the lair of the _ikran_.

The Na'vi hid in a crevice on the side of the mountain. Nehrya buried herself as far away from the edge as possible, literally moving Tee'mun so that she separated Nehrya from the edge of the cliff.

Beyral looked at her pupils, each of whom had some degree of fear upon their faces.

"Ladies first, I think," she said.

Nehrya and Tee'mun looked at each other, and Nehrya shrank back even further. They were the only two girls in their group of five. Tee'mun looked at her friend's pale face and took a deep breath.

She knew that there was no way that Nehrya would agree to go first. Taking an immeasurable step forward, she said, "I'll go."

Five pairs of eyes stared her down, and Tee'mun immediately regretted speaking up.

"Go ahead," said Beyral, handing Tee'mun the _meresh'ti cau'pla_. "_Eywa ngahu_."

Tee'mun took the weapon of sorts and walked slowly and carefully out towards the ikran. She heard Nehrya let out a little squeak of terror, but she didn't let it get to her. Her focus was on what lay ahead.

The rookery was bustling with activity, which was not unusual. Tee'mun took a step towards one ikran, a blue and green speckled creature who was a bit larger than the rest.

The ikran flew off.

Tee'mun was unfazed by this. She simply moved to the next one. This one was pale blue and deep indigo. Tee'mun suddenly turned and stepped towards it.

The ikran flew off.

And so it continued. Every ikran that Tee'mun encountered snubbed her in some way. She must've gone through at least fifteen of the creatures, and she was starting to wonder what the others must be thinking of her.

Sighing, she turned to the nearest ikran. This one was a bright pink with lavender spots randomly along its wings. Bright and showy, just what Tee'mun wouldn't want.

Which is why, naturally, the ikran came after her.

"Are you serious?" she muttered.

The ikran let out a snarl and lashed out at her. She barely managed to escape its jaws.

"All right, then." She swung the _meresh'ti cau'pla_ and, with a well-timed wrist flick, covered the ikran's eyes with it, tying its mouth shut at the same time. She leapt upon the ikran's back, holding on tightly as the creature bucked and darted. Frantic, Tee'mun grabbed her queue and the ikran's queue and connected them a bit more forcefully than she had meant to.

The effect was still the same: _tsahaylu_. Six pairs of eyes dilated and stared at nothing as the two beings attempted to comprehend their connection.

It was like nothing that Tee'mun had ever experienced. She had ridden _pa'li_, of course, but this was so much different. She was aware not only of her own understanding of the situation, but also her ikran's. The creature was just as baffled as she was.

It had been maybe twenty seconds, and their heartbeats were already in perfect time with each other. As if it was planned.

Only then did Tee'mun once again hear the calls of her Na'vi companions. "First flight!" Beyral was calling.

Tee'mun removed the _meresh'ti cau'pla_ and mounted the ikran properly. "Let's fly," she whispered.

The ikran was in the air before the words were finished, shrieking and yelling as she (Tee'mun now knew the ikran was a she) flew.

"Oh, please be quiet," Tee'mun pleaded.

There was silence before she finished speaking the command.

She got used to flying pretty easily after that. A simple thought- bank left, veer right- got a result. No need to speak. No need to worry. She could trust the ikran.

'Land over there,' she commanded, thinking of the alcove where her companions hid.

The ikran perched right above the little indentation, and Tee'mun leaned down just enough to hand back the _meresh'ti cau'pla_. "Someone else will need this," she pointed out with a grin.

Beyral took the tool and smiled. "Well done, Tee'mun." She turned to one of the boys: Lu'ukan, Ninat's son, and possibly the worst hunter they had (but he wasn't hopeless, which said something about the crop of hunters this year). "You're up!" she told him.

Tee'mun didn't want to stick around to see what happened. She didn't think she'd be able to handle it if she watched him fail.

'Let's get out into the open,' she thought to herself, and _ikran_ and _makto_ were off.

'Why do you worry for him?' a voice asked in her mind. It was unfamiliar to her, a deep, soothing alto, and it took her completely off guard.

Tee'mun had had no idea that she would be able to _converse_ with her ikran. This changed everything.

'You didn't know we can communicate,' said the ikran's voice in Tee'mun's head. 'It is a closely guarded secret. Part of the magic of the _tsahaylu_.'

Tee'mun wasn't quite sure how to reply to that.

'You think a thought, I hear it. Just make it a sentence that I could understand. It's not hard, Tee'mun.'

Tee'mun prayed that her astonishment wasn't obvious as she asked, 'How do you know my name?'

'You're an open book, child,' the ikran replied. Tee'mun could've sworn that she would have been laughing if she were a Na'vi. 'It wasn't hard to find out.'

'What's your name, then?'

There was a moment's hesitation before the reply. 'Noa,' she finally answered.

'_No-a_,' Tee'mun tested. It wasn't familiar to her. Must've been an ikran name. 'Pretty. Mean anything?'

'Motion,' Noa replied. It was clear from the tone of the thought that she didn't like this line of conversation. 'And yours means "little orphan", yes?'

Tee'mun didn't say anything either way. She knew that Noa knew the answer to her own question.

They flew in (mental) silence for a few moments, Noa's wings drawing graceful arcs across the sky. They ended up facing the rookery again, and Tee'mun's eyes widened in astonishment.

Lu'ukan had managed to make _tsahaylu_ himself, and he and his ikran were taking to the skies for the first time. The large, pale blue creature was strangely quiet.

That wasn't what got her attention, though. What Tee'mun noticed was the small form of her best friend inching its way along the rocks.

'Fly over there,' Tee'mun commanded.

Noa obeyed. 'May I ask why?'

'Because I keep my promises.'

But Tee'mun need not have worried. The ikran that chose Nehrya was as far inland as they could possibly be. Nehrya quickly and easily made tsahaylu, and soon she and her mount had joined Noa and Tee'mun.

Tee'mun steered Noa away from her friend, who was staring at nothing with wide eyed wonder as she wrapped her mind around what was happening. After what felt like ages, she steered her ikran over to Tee'mun and Noa.

"I need to talk to you later," Nehrya whispered urgently.

Tee'mun simply stared and nodded. Nehrya had never sounded so anxious before. It worried the other girl, and she wondered if something was wrong. However, she noted, Nehrya was _not_ worried about zipping through the skies. Something like pride filled Tee'mun, and she smiled broadly as Beyral gestured for them to follow her to Hometree. "There is much celebrating to do when we all return."

* * *

The celebrations lasted well into the night, the glowing of the plants lighting the faces of the Na'vi. Speeches were made. Children were hugged and kissed and coddled, their parents crying because their little son/daughter was growing up so fast. Tee'mun found herself smothered by Stepoma for literally ten minutes.

Everything died down eventually, though, and Nehrya finally had time to grab Tee'mun's wrist and drag her away to their secret place a klick or so away from home.

It wasn't much of a hideaway, Tee'mun knew. Just the wreckage of an old building that the humans had left behind. There were symbols carved into one of the walls that Tee'mun couldn't understand, but they looked strangely familiar to her.

Nehrya sat in the corner of the half-destroyed room, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" asked Tee'mun, sitting beside her friend and wrapping an arm around her.

"Do you remember," said Nehrya slowly and carefully, "the legends that the older kids told us when we were younger? The ghost stories?"

It took Tee'mun a moment to remember, but she laughed a bit once she did. _The ikran_, they had been told when they were six years old, _are the ghosts of Na'vi who have died. But Eywa didn't want them to die, so she turned them into ikran instead. That's why they only pick one _makto_. Whoever would be closest to that Na'vi is closest to the ikran_.

It had been cruel, and Tee'mun had had nightmares about it for weeks until Stepoma assured her that this was not the case. In retrospect, Tee'mun thought she had been quite the little _skxawng_ to have believed them in the first place.

"Yeah, I remember them," she said, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice.

Nehrya gave her one of her angry glares, and Tee'mun shuddered a bit. "Don't laugh," the smaller girl said. "They're real."

"How do you know?"

"Because-" Nehrya paused and wrung her hands uncomfortably, staring at her nine fingers, moving them one by one as she spoke. "Did your ikran talk to you?"

Tee'mun nodded, not trusting herself to speak without sounding condescending.

"Well, mine did, too. He told me his name was Tani."

Tee'mun inhaled sharply. Tani had been Stepoma's son's name. The son who had been killed, along with his father, when Hometree was destroyed. He had been two years old.

"Coincidence," she said in a falsely airy tone.

"I don't think so. He started-" Nehrya gulped. "He started asking about your _sa'nok_. Wondering how his _sa'nu_ was doing. He said he misses her."

Tee'mun froze in astonishment. Tani. Her brother, who Stepoma had constantly talked about. As in, "Oh, Tee'mun, if only Tani and your father could see how you've grown." Why would Eywa have saved him? And why on Earth would Eywa let someone die as a Na'vi, only to be born again as an ikran?

And if it _was_ Tani, why would he bond with Nehrya instead of Tee'mun?

"It just doesn't make any sense, Nehrya. Why would Eywa save Tani? He was just a kid," said Tee'mun helplessly.

"I don't know why. He started trying to warn me, told me we would need someone who knew something about treachery, but other than that…" Nehrya gestured helplessly.

"In case it's true, please don't tell Sa'nu anything." Tee'mun knew that the news would drive Stepoma mad. The fact that her son was, in some odd way, still among them but unable to talk with her would drive her insane.

"All right," replied Nehrya, taking one of Tee'mun's curls in one hand and a strand of her own straight hair in the other. She twisted them together; the Na'vi version of "cross my heart."

"Thanks."

"What about yours? What is your ikran like?"

Tee'mun laughed. "It's like having another mom. Or a really cool aunt."

"Wonder who she used to be," Nehrya murmured.

"Oh, would you stop it!" said Tee'mun with a giggle. "Maybe Noa was born an ikran first. Maybe she didn't use to be anyone. Ever think of that?"

Nehrya rolled her eyes. "With a name like Noa, she has to be ikran. That certainly isn't a Na'vi name." She stood up. "Come on, we should head back." With that, she left the old building and ran back towards home, hitting a few branches on her way. Fan lizards took to the air, lighting the path where the light of the plants didn't reach.

Tee'mun followed Nehrya as far as she could before she had to head her separate ways. Nehrya and her parents lived on the innermost part of camp. Stepoma and Tee'mun lived on the outskirts. She crept through the creepers and leaves until she reached her mother's hammock, which was slung between two small trees. She laid down in her own nearby one, and her exhausted eyes finally fell shut.

They opened a moment later, but her vision was blurry, and she was no longer in her hammock. Whatever she now sat upon was stiff and hard.

This, however, was the least of her worries. Several _ayketuwong_ were looking down at her, speaking in words she couldn't understand. There was some degree of something like greed upon each face.

Tee'mun had to fight hard to keep from screaming. Nightmares, she discovered, can indeed come true.

* * *

**GLOSSARY:**

**Iknimaya: The Hallelujah Mountains/making a bond with a banshee, a rite of passage  
**

**meresh'ti cau'pla:**** Banshee catcher (see the Avatar wiki for more information)**

**Eywa ngahu:**** Eywa be with you.**

**Ikran****: Mountain Banshee**

**Tsahaylu:**** the bond**

**Pa'li:**** direhorse**

**Makto:**** Ride, rider**

**Sa'nok:**** Mother**

**Sa'nu:**** Mommy**

**Ayketuwong:**** Aliens**


End file.
